I was so excited to be part of the launch team for Christine Hoover's new book From Good to Grace!
At the time when I committed to be a part and all that that entailed, I had no idea all that God was doing and working in me-in His perfect sovereignty-to prepare my heart to receive the message in this book.
The launch of the book was to be on March 3, my birthday. I had plenty of time to read the book, send out a few tweets with the launch hashtag, prepare for the guest post by Christine, and have my review of the book written and posted on my website by launch date. According to my timeline...not His.
Without boring you on the particulars, let's just say my life got overloaded in a big way! Activities, family matters, sickness (oh stomach bug...why?), hospitals, funerals, women's conference, fundraisers, graduation planning meetings...and that all on top of my duties at home of homeschooling, homemaking, being a help meet and my serving at our church as Pastor's wife, worship leader and teaching a women's bible study class. Are you tired just from reading that?
This really is not my norm. Yes, my life is filled...but in a good way with all God has intended for me. But, providentially, all this ^ happened while I was reading from Good to Grace.
I love grace. God's grace is a treasure, a balm, a comfort and a promise I cling to. I know it, I embrace it, and I bask in it. I know that salvation is all of God. I know that I had absolutely nothing but unrighteousness to offer to God...and I know that out of His great love He sent His Son...the only One who could keep the covenant of the law and grace simultaneously when He died upon the cross for my sin and was resurrected to the praise and the glory of God! I know salvation, justification, sanctification and glorification is all of Him! And I am so thankful!
So, I was excited to read this new book for, what I thought, would be an aid to help me in conveying that true gospel in obedience to Matthew 28. I know there are many inside and outside the church that are trying to get to God and secure salvation through works and by their own merit. I know that there is sadly some false teaching in our churches today that promotes a 'to-do" list and rules that must be kept to gain heaven. And this book is full of the truth of the real gospel. The gospel of Truth and of grace.
What I didn't expect was to be called out early on in the first few chapters, admonished by Truth, that though I have trusted in Christ alone for my salvation, I am guilty of, at times, living out my day to day through a goodness gospel! As if Christ was enough to save me, but now the rest is up to me? I actually "know" that not to be the case. I "know" that I can only do all things through Christ (Phil. 4:13) and it is by His strength and power we are able to walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Col 1:9-10). So why do I sometimes slip back in to a works-based day to day walk? Why do I feel guilty if I don't "do" something someone wants me to do? Or fulfill a role that is not filled? Or volunteer for EVERYTHING? Because I sometimes slip back in to the goodness gospel by believing that I am my performance.
In her book, Christine Hoover reminds us that, "In Christ, I am not my performance." She writes,
“The gospel ransoms me from my prison of performance. In Christ, I am not my performance. This is perhaps the first and most important freedom I’ve received in Christ. Grace frees me from a focus on self and all the sins and burdens that come along with it: selfishness, insecurity, pride, trying to prove myself worthy, seeking love and approval, fear of not being enough. Like a giant wave, the gospel rises above this petty focus on self, crushing every facet of our selfishness and self-centeredness. We no longer need to seek our own honor and worth because we are loved by Love himself…This is the explosive power of the gospel: it frees us from ourselves and enables us to live for God and for the sake of others.” (p. 117-118).
The whole book points constantly and consistently to the sufficiency of Christ. I love that. There is nothing in this book that points to Christine, and she over and over again points to Him and all that He has done in her life with a transparency and a tenderness that could only have come from Him.
I could just literally quote the whole book here as I had to put down my highlighter as I found I was highlighting entire pages! You just need to get this book and read it. Savor it. I thank God that He allowed me to go through a time of intense busyness where I felt completely weak and insufficient to carry out all He had for me right in the midst of reading this book. I am thankful that He gave me eyes, ears and a heart to see, hear and feel the message He had for me in this book with my bible open alongside. I pray you will read it that way as well and let Him wash over you anew with His grace that is intended for every part and every day of your life. My prayer is that you, and I, and Christine will all preach the gospel of Christ to ourselves EVERY DAY in EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE in EVERY DUTY that we accomplish for Him and for His glory!
Get your copy here: From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel
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